THE GENERA OF BRITISH MOTHS. 113 
PLATE XLIII. 
No. 1—The Large Magpie (Abravas Grossulariata). No. 10.—The Caterpillar of the Small Argent and Sable. 
No. 2.—The Caterpillar of the Large Magpie. No. 11.—The Beautiful Carpet (Mesoleuca albicillata). 
No. 3.—The Chrysalis of the Large Magpie. No. 12.—The Sandy Carpet (Emmelesia decolorata). 
No. 4.—The Speckled Yellow (Venilia maculata). No. 13.—The Least Carpet (Cosmorhoe rusticata), 
No. 5.—The Clouded Silver (Corycia punctata). No. 14.—The Purple-bordered Gold (Hyria auroralis). 
No. 6.—The Caterpillar of the Clouded Silver. No, 15.—The Drab Looper (Minoa Euphorbiata). 
No. 7. —The Argent and Sable (Melanippe hastata). | No. 16.—The Caterpillar of the Drab Looper. 
No. 8.—The Caterpillar of the Argent’and Sable. No. 17.—The Chimney Sweep (Odezia Cherophyllata). 
No. 9.—The Small Argent and Sable (Melanthia tristata). 
THE seventeenth Sub-Family of the Geometridae is that of the Zerenidi, the insects assigned to which have 
the antenn of the males thickened, but not pectinated. The abdomen is generally spotted with black, and the 
wings broad and white, with black or orange-coloured spots. The larva are not attenuated, and are generally 
marked in a manner somewhat analogous to the perfect insect. The Chrysalides are short and black, and 
sometimes ringed with yellow at the joints. There are three genera, Abrawas, Venilia and Corycia. 
The genus Abraxas. The insects assigned to this genus have all a strong family resemblance, and belong to 
the Currant-moth tribe. The antenne are short and simple in both sexes, but slightly thickened in the males. 
The wings are broad, of slight and delicate texture, and silvery white variegated with dots or patches of black, 
gray, or orange. The bodies are generally orange, spotted with black. The Caterpillars are regular loopers, 
but of thick proportion, and not attenuated at either extremity. The Chrysalides are sometimes enclosed in a 
slight silken cocoon, or attached toa branch by a slight net-work of silken web. 
Abraxas Grossulariata (the Large Magpie, or Currant-moth, No. 1). This conspicuous insect is exceedingly 
variable in its markings, but yet from its general character it is easily recognised. I have seen specimens in 
which the black markings have almost entirely covered the wings and obscured both the orange spots and the 
white ground ; and have found others in which the markings, both black and orange, have been so faint as 
to leave the wings nearly white ; and yet in these extremes the family character of the moth is so unmistakeable, 
that even a very young entomologist would not mistake such specimens for any other species. The Caterpillar 
(No. 2) feeds on the foliage of the Currant and other fruit trees in May and June. The Chrysalis (No. 8) is 
prettily ringed with yellow. The perfect moth appears in July and August. It is common everywhere. 
There are two other species. A. pantaria is considerably smaller than the preceding. The white wings are 
only varied by one indistinct brownish-orange patch at the inner angle of the anterior wings, and a few similar 
marks on the hind wings. This is a very rare species, only occasionally found in the northern counties, and it is 
doubtful even whether it be British. A. Almata is of intermediate size, and is marked in a somewhat similar 
manner to A. Grossulariata, but much more faintly, with brown, orange, and gray. 
The genus Venilia. The only British species belonging to this genus is assigned by some authors to a 
widely different position in the modern arrangement, but in many respects it appears to suit its present location. 
The chief characters of the insects assigned to this genus are, antenne slightly pubescent beneath, in the males ; 
